UB Soul Friday: Celebrating NKOTB’s ‘Face The Music’
An Often Overlooked Great Body of Work.
This weeks “UB Soul Friday” celebrates an album by a legendary group, often overlooked.
New Kids on the Block‘s “Face The Music” album, released under NKOTB.
The album was released in 1994 and is a great body of work!
“UB Soul Friday,” spotlighting artists, albums, singles and videos that left a mark in R&B and Soul music!
New Kids on the Block became a phenomenon, selling over 70 million albums, including the back-to-back international #1 efforts, 1988’s “Hangin’ Tough” and 1990’s “Step By Step.”
The group has achieved a series of crossover smash R&B, pop hits as well, including “You Got It (The Right Stuff),” “Cover Girl,” “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time),” “Hangin’ Tough,” “I’ll Be Loving You,” and “Tonight.”
As well as countless number of concert tickets, t-shirts and even lunchboxes to primarily female kids around the world.
At the time under the guidance of producer Maurice Starr who had previously brought the world legendary New Edition, the New Kids made a tremendous impact on the culture very quickly.
In 1984, Maurice Starr and his business partner Mary Alford, who previously created the group New Edition, arranged several auditions around Boston.
It was Starr’s ambition to present Black music by white people, therefore he was searching for 5 white youngsters who should represent Rhythm & Blues and become the new idols of their age-set.
Starr found his first member of the group in 15-year-old Donnie Wahlberg, who impressed him by his skills in rapping, his dancing ability and showmanship.
After this, Donnie brought his younger brother Mark and his best friend Danny Wood to the group.
Donnie then called Jordan Knight, who was his one-time schoolmate in Elementary School. Jordan went to Starr’s audition and convinced him with his exceptional falsetto.
When he came home, Jordan told his elder brother about it. Jonathan wanted to try out too, so their mother called Maurice Starr asking for a chance.
Jonathan succeeded and in the end he was added the group as well.
When things became serious, Mark Wahlberg quit and got replaced by Jamie Kelley, one of Donnie’s neighborhood friends.
The group was formed and went by the name ‘NYNUK.’
NYNUK’s first public appearance was in 1985 at a local talent show, which took place at the Joseph Lee School in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
It was followed by a performance at the Kite Festival in Franklin Park, where the group had to dance on compiled tables, was booed, and pelted with pebbles and rocks.
While the other four members spent their free time in the studio and put a lot of effort into the future of the band, Jamie Kelley increasingly neglected his commitment to the group, with the consequence being that he got dismissed later on.
Starr was now searching for a talent with a voice similar to Michael Jackson for singing high solos.
That was when the 12-year-old Joey McIntyre made his way to the group.
He was previously singing and acting in local theatres.
With Joey being the final piece, the group was put together the way we know them ever since.
After a lot of rehearsals the group was lucky enough to sign a record deal with Columbia Records.
Right away the company suggested them to change the name of the band.
Referring to a rap-song Donnie wrote, they called themselves ‘New Kids on the Block.’
The New Kids on the Block’s first gig took place in a local prison in Deer Iceland (at the Boston Harbor) in front of several hundred prisoners.
More appearances in various clubs followed.
In 1986 they finally got the chance to release their first and self-titled album “New Kids on the Block.”
With a new sound and after a lot of work they finished “Hangin’ Tough” in 1988. It took them nearly two years to record it.
“Hangin’ Tough,” made its way to the very top of the Billboard 200 Albums chart by the end of 1989 and went eight-times platinum.
In January 1990, New Kids on the Block were awarded with the American Music Award for “Best Pop Group” and “Best Pop Album.”
New Kids on the Block became one of the most popular acts in the United States and at this time the band was taking the world step by step.
That same year they released their next album, the global multi platinum “Step by Step.”
After a three-year hiatus, New Kids On The Block returned as NKOTB with their return album “Face The Music” in 1994.
Today we celebrate that release, as it was a great body of work from the band, often overlooked.
Producers Teddy Riley, Narada Michael Walden, Walter Afanasieff, and Richard Wolf worked on the set, which was the group’s first without manager/producer Maurice Starr.
Member Donnie Wahlberg produced four cuts and wrote & co-wrote five, while the group’s Danny Wood wrote/produced one.
NKOTB were hopeful that the music of the one-time teen stars known as New Kids On The Block, would be accepted on its on own merits.
Rather than burdened with any preconceived notions the public may have had.
To accomplish that goal, the label issued the first single from the album, “Dirty Dawg,” on a white-label disc to clubs and to Top 40 and urban radio, while the Columbia publicity department sent out an advance samplers under the moniker “BONK-T.”
Even the group’s abbreviated moniker suggested that it and the label were trying to elude the backlash that followed the group’s startling success of 1988-90, which included three # 1 singles and two #1 albums.
However the abbreviated name was not new. The New Kids first called themselves NKOTB on 1990‘s “No More Games/The Remix Album.”
Donnie Wahlberg downplayed the abbreviated moniker at the time. “It’s no big deal. We tried it on the remix album. We remixed the name for the album. We’re not really kids anymore. We got tired of the old name and wanted to try something different. There is so much baggage attached to the New Kids On The Block.”
With Maurice Starr not involved, several prominent hit-making producers were, including legendary Teddy Riley and Narada Michael Walden, along with Walter Afanasieff, and Wahlberg, who had already demonstrated his production chops on recordings by his younger brother, Marky Mark.
With Starr out of the picture, the NKOTB members also were allowed to contribute more material to “Face The Music,” with Wahlberg penning six tracks (intro and International edition bonus track) and Jordan Knight collaborating with Wahlberg, Afanasieff, and Walden.
Though big-name producers were brought in to work on the project, Donnie Wahlberg stated NKOTB, had ultimate creative control. “It was very fulfilling, because we were in total control of the thing.”
Jordan Knight added. “We saw the project all the way through.”
With NKOTB in control, the group was able to infuse more R&B and hip-hop elements in the mix. “Maurice came from an older school of music,” Jordan Knight stated. “Hip-hip has been part of our sound for a long time, but he wasn’t too up for it. We would sing the songs for Maurice, then go listen to hip-hop.”
On the album’s opening cut, “Face The Music (Intro),” NKOTB addressed its past, including allegations that the group lip-synched during live performances and that Starr often sang on its records. “It’s really a double-edge challenge,” Wahlberg said of the song. “Listen to the music, and if you like it, fine. If you don’t, fine. But it doesn’t matter if we’re on lunch boxes. That’s not important. All that’s important to me is the music.”
He added, “It’s also a challenge to us. We can’t fight back against the critics, because that’s a fight we can’t win. But now we have a chance to deliver the goods ourselves.”
Jordan Knight concurred, saying the most important thing about “Face The Music” was the that the group “proved something to ourselves – we can do it by ourselves.”
Outside of the lead single “Dirty Dawg,” the album features the hit “If You Go Away,” from their 1991 Greatest Hits album “H.I.T.S.”
The Teddy Riley “Never Let You Go” followed.
“Face The Music” is filled with unreleased gems as well, including “I’ll Still Be Loving You,” “Let’s Play House,” “Since You Walked into My Life” and “Mrs. Right.”
While the tour was going on for the album, Jonathan Knight, who was increasingly suffering from anxiety and panic attacks at this time, decided to leave the group.
The band then cancelled the rest of the tour and shortly after that, NKOTB split up for good.
The group broke up in June 1994.
Jon quit the group during a club tour.
The group members finished the tour without Jon and broke up soon after to pursue individual careers.
Wood went into a quiet existence out of the public eye before taking up occasional acting in 2001.
Wahlberg followed his brother into acting.
McIntyre and Jordan both recorded solo albums in 1999.
In 2007, the group themselves decided to reunite and recorded their sixth album, “The Block,” back under their original name New Kids on the Block.
The debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart and #2 on the Billboard 200.
Their seventh album, “10” was released in 2013.
New Kids on the Block received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 9th, 2014.
In 2023, Jonathan Knight spoke on Frosted Tips, a podcast hosted by NSYNC member Lance Bass – about being gay in the group and how it effected him.
Jonathan Knight said of the group’s manager: “He pulled me aside and he was like ‘if anybody finds out then your career is over, the New Kids’ career is over,’ my manager said, ‘my career is over … Sony’s going to, like, lose money.’”
“It was just so much pressure,” he added. “Looking back, that’s a lot of pressure to put on somebody who is just trying to figure out the world themselves.”
He recalled being the first to leave the band in 1994, saying: “Pop music was just not what it used to be and you know we went from arenas down to theaters and then eventually I left the New Kids and they continued on and they were doing nightclubs. And it just kept going down and down but I had jumped out early. There were a few reasons. Number one, being a young gay kid I was frustrated and wanted to get on with my own life. The other reason, it just felt like it was not going anywhere and I just wanted to be home.”
New Kids on the Block last album, “Still Kids” dropped in 2024.
The group is currently selling out Dolby Live at Park MGM, as New Kids on the Block host their Las Vegas residency, till the end of February 2026.
Take A Trip Down Memory Lane with “Face the Music!”
